24 Turkish firms provide services for CERN

The Turkish business world has taken great interest in the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), where the world's most advanced particle physics laboratory has been established to undertake the mission of a dynamo in humankind's journey to understand the universe.

Hakan Kızıltoprak, CERN Industry Liaison Representatives chairman and special counselor to the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) chairman, said that a total of 24 Turkish companies have been doing business at CERN and some 100-150 others have joined tenders. He added that Turkey's business volume at CERN has reached $4 million.

Stating that operations have stopped at CERN at the moment, Kızıltoprak noted, "They are now going to move to higher-energy collisions. As a result of studies, CERN has reached the velocity of light. Up to now, they have given 7 tera electron volts of energy in collisions and aggrandized substance mass by 25,000 times. They now want to increase this power by two-three times. So, since the systems they installed with the old technology will not be able to endure new radiation rates, they are restructuring 60-70 percent of CERN. That is why we are in a good time. Our companies will be involved in this restructuring process. If we can participate in ‘Phase 2' with our academics, we will be able to acquire business from approximately $200 million worth extra tenders to be held in the next decade."

According to Kızıltoprak, while there were 10 scientists who were interested in CERN in the early 2000s, the number of Turkish researchers has reached 173 in recent years.

Kızıltoprak reiterated that a particle laboratory, essential for Turkey's space research, has started being established in Ankara within the framework of various cooperation agreements signed with CERN, continuing, "We have also completed studies on the development of an RF quad-pole (RFQ), which is the first stage of modern proton accelerators that only 10 countries in the world can produce and operate. We have also produced the first prototypes of some subatomic particle detectors in Turkey in Istanbul that can be used in in medical devices and border security and tested them at CERN. On the other hand, we have taken steps for the use of electronic circuits and detectors that will be produced in Turkey in experiment improvement activities to be carried out at CERN in 2024."

Stressing that the Turkish business world has quietly and deeply undertaken great jobs at CERN, Kızıltoprak said, "In two-and-a-half years, we have held more than 30 contact meetings in 13 different cities in our country. We have brought CERN officials and purchasing groups four times to Turkey. We have established an industrial communication network consisting of our companies in Istanbul, Ankara, Adan, the Aegean region, Bursa, Gebze, Kocaeli and Gaziantep. At the moment, 24 companies from Turkey have done business in different fields at CERN. We have won and received more than 40 tenders and orders. Some 100-150 companies of us have participated in tenders. Some of them are still under evaluation. We have doubled our business volume every year. As of the end of 2018, our business volume has reached $4 million in the last three years. The most promising point is that the total price of the tenders that we have come in second and third is twice the volume of work we have undertaken so far."

According to Kızıltoprak, Turkey needs to pay some $380,000 to CERN for 10 years so that Turkish universities and researchers can join these experiments through the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority. In return, as part of bilateral agreements, Turkey will have the right to take purchase some of the needs of experiments from Turkish industrialists and to join some $200 million worth tenders to be held in the scope of these experiments apart from CERN purchases.

"Although no resources have been allocated for this in the 2019 budget, we believe that it will be placed in the 2020 budget," Kızıltoprak said.